Hightstown Man Indicted for Fatal Car Shooting

FREEHOLD – A Monmouth County grand jury has returned 6-count indictment charging a Hightstown man for the fatal shooting of a borough woman back in May, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Kader Mustafa, 34, of Hightstown, is charged in the Indictment with first degree Murder, second degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, two counts of second degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and two counts of third degree Endangering Another Person. The charges stem for the fatal shooting of 24-year old Sciasia Calhoun, of Freehold Borough, as she drove along Route 33 West at the exit ramp for Halls Mill Road in Freehold Township on the evening of May 3, 2018.

Freehold Township police responded to a 911 call at 11:44 p.m. reporting a woman who was shot inside her vehicle while driving along Route 33. The investigation revealed that Mustafa fired at Calhoun’s vehicle while operating a 2004 Chevrolet Impala. Calhoun was operating a 1997 Mazda Protege and was accompanied by her boyfriend and their one-year old child. No physical injuries were sustained by the boyfriend and child. Calhoun was transported by Freehold First Aid with the assistance of Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC) to CentraState Medical Center and where she died at about 12:46 a.m.

Following a multi-agency investigation, Mustafa was apprehended in Manalapan in the area of Oakland Mills Road at approximately 8:10 a.m. while inside his vehicle.

If convicted of Murder, Mustafa faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in a New Jersey state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The sentence comes with a 30-year period of parole ineligibility and is subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act” (NERA) requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. He would also be under parole supervision for five years following his release from state prison.

If convicted of the weapons charges, Mustafa faces a sentence of five to ten years in prison, with a period of up to forty two months that must be served prior to becoming eligible for parole. If convicted of Endangering Another Person, Mustafa faces a sentence of three to five years in prison.

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Director of Investigations John Loughrey and Assistant Prosecutor Martha Nye.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.